يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآَخِرَةِ وَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الظَّالِمِينَ وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ[Allah keeps the believers firm on the word of truth in the life of this world and the Hereafter, and Allah leads astray the wrong doers, and Allah does what He pleases. ]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 028

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّوا قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ[Have you not looked at those who repaid Allah's favors with ingratitude; who pulled their people down to ruin, ]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 029

جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَوْنَهَا وَبِئْسَ الْقَرَارُ[ (and) Hell, where they will roast in the fire? And what an evil repository! ]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 030

وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَنْدَادًا لِيُضِلُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ قُلْ تَمَتَّعُوا فَإِنَّ مَصِيرَكُمْ إِلَى النَّارِ[ They have attributed to Allah His equals to mislead people from His path. Tell them : 'Enjoy yourselves (for the time being). In the end you have to go to Hell.' ]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 031

قُلْ لِعِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا يُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُنْفِقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَا بَيْعٌ فِيهِ وَلَا خِلَالٌ[ Tell My servants who have believed to establish Salah and to spend out of what We have given them, secretly and openly before there comes a day on which there will be neither any bargaining nor friendship.]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 032

اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَأَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَكُمْ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الْفُلْكَ لِتَجْرِيَ فِي الْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الْأَنْهَارَ[It is Allah who created the heavens and the earth, and He sends down water from the sky and with it He brings forth crops for your sustenance and subjected for you the ships to sail through the sea by His command and subjected for you the rivers.]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 032

وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ دَائِبَيْنِ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ[And He subjected for you the sun and the moon continuous (in orbit), and subjected for you the night and the day.]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 034

وَآَتَاكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ[And He gave you all that you had asked Him (as per the exigency of your nature). If you enumerate Allah’s blessings, you will not be able to count them. Indeed man is most unfair and ungrateful!]

رَبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنْتُ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِنْدَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُمْ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ[I have settled some of my children, O Lord, in a barren valley near Your sacred House so that, O our Lord, they may be constant in devotion. So put in the hearts of men some kindness for them, and provide fruits for them so that they may be grateful. ]

The above supplication was made by Ibrahim (عليه السلام) when he left his wife and infant son Ismail (عليهم السلام) in the valley between Safa and Marwa hillocks near Ka'ba. This was years before he built K'aba along with his grown up son Ismail (عليه السلام).

The verse also confirms that the foundations of the building of Ka'ab were visible.

It is in Quran - وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ مَكَانَ الْبَيْتِ أَن لَّا تُشْرِكْ بِي شَيْئًا وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْقَائِمِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ [ We showed Ibrahim the site of the House, saying, ‘Do not assign partners to Me. Purify My House for those who circumambulate around it, those who stand to pray, and those who bow and prostrate themselves. (Al-Hajj - 26)

Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) says that His house is 'a sanctuary for people. People feel safe when they are in it.

Prior to Islam, even the pagans who abandoned the religion of Ibrahim (عليه السلام) and his descendants, believed in making pilgrimage to the sanctified house. They used to guarantee the safety of those visiting the Ka'ba.

It is in Quran -وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا الْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَأَمْنًا وَاتَّخِذُوا مِنْ مَقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى وَعَهِدْنَا إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ أَنْ طَهِّرَا بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْعَاكِفِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ [ And We made the House a place of return and a sanctuary for people, saying, ‘Take the spot where Ibrahimؑ stood as your place of prayer.’ We commanded Ibrahimؑ and Ismailؑ : ‘Purify My House for those who walk round it, those who make it a retreat, and those who bow and prostrate.] (Al-Baqara - 125)

In this verse, Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) commands us to pray at the place where Ibrahim (عليه السلام) stood while raising the wall of Ka'ba. The rock on which Ibrahim (عليه السلام) stood, is still preserved.

Ibrahim and Ismail (عليهم السلام) rebuild Ka'ba and took care of its maintenance as well. Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) commanded them to purify the House (and its surroundings). Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) commanded Ibrahim and Ismail (عليهم السلام) to clean the place for everyone (i) who do Tawaaf, (ii) who take time to retreat, and (iii) who devote themselves for worship for a longer time in bowing and prostrating. It is obvious that Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) wanted to make Ka'ba a focal point and Qibla for all Muslims of the world.

In the above verse, Ibrahim(عليه السلام) is praying for protection for himself, his both parents (who were Momineen) and general believers on the Day of Judgment. This Quranic verse shows Azar, who was an Idol worshiper, was the brother of the father of Ibrahim (عليه السلام).

It is in Hadith -Anas Ibn Malik (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ) narrates that one day Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) stood on the pulpit and informed (sahabah) the names of his ancestors:

Ibn Jarir at-Tabari in his Tafsir and History book has mentioned that Azar was not the father of Ibrahim (عليه السلام).( History of Tabari, Vol. 1, Page 119. and Tafsir-e-Tabari, Vol. 7, page 158).

Shaikh Mohammad Abdul Qadeer Siddiqui (رحمتہ اللہ علیہ) has written in his Tafseer, Verse 41, Surah Ibrahim that Azar was the brother of the father of Ibrahim (عليه السلام).

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 042

وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ[And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers are doing. He only delays them for a Day when (their) eyes will stare (in horror).]

وَأَنْذِرِ النَّاسَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمُ الْعَذَابُ فَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا رَبَّنَا أَخِّرْنَا إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ نُجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِعِ الرُّسُلَ أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُوا أَقْسَمْتُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ زَوَالٍ[And warn the people about the Day when the torment will come upon them. Those who did injustice will say : 'O our Lord, grant us respite for a while so that we may accept Your message and follow the Apostles.’ (But they will be told) 'Are you not those who used to swear before, that you would never fall?]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 045

وَسَكَنْتُمْ فِي مَسَاكِنِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمْ كَيْفَ فَعَلْنَا بِهِمْ وَضَرَبْنَا لَكُمُ الْأَمْثَالَ[While you lived in the houses of those who had wronged themselves (before), and it had been made clear to you how We had dealt with them (earlier), and We gave many examples to you?' ]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 046

وَقَدْ مَكَرُوا مَكْرَهُمْ وَعِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَكْرُهُمْ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ[Mighty indeed were the plots which they made, but their plots were (well) within the sight of Allah, even though they were such as to shake the hills! ]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 047

فَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ مُخْلِفَ وَعْدِهِ رُسُلَهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انْتِقَامٍ[Don't think that Allah would fail his Apostles in His promise: for Allah is Exalted in power, and is the Lord of Retribution. ]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 048

يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ الْأَرْضُ غَيْرَ الْأَرْضِ وَالسَّمَوَاتُ وَبَرَزُوا لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ[The day the earth is transformed into another earth and the heavens (as well), and everyone will appear before Allah, the One, the All Supreme. ]

Juz 13, Ibrahim, Verse 049

وَتَرَى الْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُقَرَّنِينَ فِي الْأَصْفَادِ[On that day you will see the guilty bound together in chains, ]

هَذَا بَلَاغٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيُنْذَرُوا بِهِ وَلِيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَلِيَذَّكَّرَ أُولُواْ الْأَلْبَابِ[This is a message for mankind that they may take a warning from it, and may know that He is the one and only God, and that men of wisdom may reflect. ]

Fourteen Arabic alphabets have been used, in varied combinations, in 14 ‘Solemn Verses' (Ayaat-e-Muqatta'at - آیاتِ مقطعات) in the form of initials of 29 Chapters (سورة) of holy Quran. Alif-Laam-Ra (الر) is one of them.

Since Quran is 'Mubeen' (الْمُبِينِ); its description is clear and manifest. The meanings of all the verses of Quran, including 'Solemn Verses' (آیاتِ مقطعات) are surely known to its principle addressee, ie., Prophet Mohammad (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم). It is also likely that Prophet Mohammad (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) has informed the meanings of these Verses to some of his Sahabah and Awliya Allah.

We believe in whatever is meant by the 'Solemn Verses' (آیاتِ مقطعات) by Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) and His Apostle Mohammad (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم).

Since we have been commanded to read the Quran carefully and try to understand the significance of every verse of the Quran, we do ponder over these verses. And when we think, by focusing our attention towards Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) and His Apostle Mohammad (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) for guidance, it comes to our mind that the 'Solemn Verses' (آیاتِ مقطعات) are actually the 'Solemn Titles of Prophet Mohammad (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) given by Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) throughout the Quran. Our understanding is based on the fact that Allah (عَزَّ وَجَلَّ) has addressed Prophet Mohammad (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) in the Quran by specific names, like Muzzammil (مزمل - O' beloved who covers self in a coverlet), Muddassir (مدثر - O' beloved, who covers self in a bed sheet). With this understanding, it is most likely that Prophet’s (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) other names / titles have been mentioned in Quran by denoting certain initials/alphabets.

تِلْكَ آَيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَقُرْآَنٍ مُبِينٍ[ These are the verses of the Book, the manifest Quran. ]